The Unclouded Day

O they tell me of a home far beyond the skies, O they tell me of a home far away;
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise, O they tell me of an unclouded day.

O the land of cloudless day, O the land of an unclouded sky,
O they tell me of a home where no storm clouds rise, O they tell me of an unclouded day.

O they tell me of a home where my friends have gone, O they tell me of that land far away,
Where the tree of life in eternal bloom, Sheds its fragrance through the unclouded day.

O they tell me of a King in His beauty there, And they tell me that mine eyes shall behold
Where He sits on the throne that is whiter than snow, In the city that is made of gold.

O they tell me that He smiles on His children there, And His smile drives their sorrows all away;
And they tell me that no tears ever come again, In that lovely land of unclouded day.

For those of you that live in the Chattanooga/Cleveland area, you can relate to this song this morning because exactly opposite is what is going on outside. The sky is full of clouds, and the sun cannot be seen this morning. This hymn is a contrast to the what is going on outside, but it is no less true even though it is a little cloudy in our neck of the woods. I think it is important to regularly remember and sing songs about heaven. It is a reminder to all of us that the “earthly” difficulties we experience will be overshadowed by an eternity in heaven. I like this old “red-back” hymnal song for several reasons. It is one of those toe-tapping, upbeat kind of songs. I like the title to the song, too, because it is a little unusual. We typically think of words with “un” in front of them as negative. Unimpressive. Unimportant. Undermine. However, the “Un” is this song is a good thing, and I think you all would agree.

This song was written by Rev. Josiah Alwood. He was an itinerant preacher in Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana in the early 1800’s. It was not unusual for him to ride to small churches on horseback, and sometimes he would have to preach in wet clothes because he had traveled to these small churches in pouring rain. One evening after midnight, it is said that Rev. Alwood saw a rainbow in the sky. Yes a rainbow in the middle of the night! He was so inspired by the scene that he pinned the words and the tune to “The Unclouded Day.” I too was inspired by the story behind this song. During the midnight of Rev. Alwood’s life, God put a rainbow in the clouds for him (another song for another day). That dark night reminded him of the endless day that he would one day experience in Heaven. My prayer for you today is that if you are in the “midnight” or in the midst of a storm, that God would send you a “rainbow.” A reminder of His promise. A reminder of His love. And a reminder of the great hope we have as Christians – that we will one day spend eternity in that land of cloudless day.

Couple of phrases I wanted to highlight:

• “Where my friends have gone” – I hope that all of us can say that we know we have both family and friends that have gone on to be with the Lord. I think that is one of the great hopes that we have as Christians – that we will see our loved ones again. This phrase made me wonder though. Are there family members or friends that I have that aren’t going to Heaven – that don’t know the Lord? Do all of my friends and family know the Lord? This thought should convict all of us to share with them the truth of the Gospel in a loving manner. To tell them of Heaven and to tell them that there is only one way to get there. To know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

• “He smiles on His children there” – I like the image of Jesus and children. The Bible talks about how He blessed them and loved them while on earth. I do believe that He will smile on His children in Heaven, like this song says, but I also believe that as we do the things He has commanded us to do on earth, He is smiling on us now. Isn’t it a neat thought to think that we as “helpless” sheep can do things to make the Shepherd smile? Our simple acts of kindness, love and forgiveness, are a reflection of His grace and mercy on this earth, and I know that makes Him smile.

 In the 1970’s, when soft drink companies were competing for our attention, 7-Up came up with an interesting advertising slogan to distinguish themselves from Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, and the rest. Their slogan was “7-Up – The Un-Cola.” It was the “Un-cola” because it was without all those bad things that the dark colas had in them – High Fructose Corn Syrup, Caramel Color, Phosphoric Acid, Sodium Benzoate. I can hardly pronounce the names of some of these things, much less want to drink a Coke after I read them.

In a way, Heaven is similar. Often times, like this song, we define Heaven by what it won’t have, not necessarily, what it does have. For example, no more crying, no more pain, no more death. This hymn reminds us that Heaven will have no clouds and therefore no storms of life. Not having those things does make Heaven the kind of place I want to go, especially as the “storms” of life increase. But I hope that is not the only reason you want to go there. I also hope your reason is not just to avoid Hell. I hope that your desire is to be with the Lord. To worship at His feet. To give Him the honor that He is due. He alone is worthy of that kind of devotion and praise. That truth is un-deniable.